Glauco Mauri, one of Italy’s greatest theatre artists, brings Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis to the stage. In his very own theatre adaptation, armed with his sharp witted and intelligent art, Wilde transforms the long, quasi-autobiographical letter into a universal parable of suffering, on the value of art and love. Mauri has revisited this piece, above all removing any overly literary parts, its fair share of imperfections, (due to the heavy restrictions imposed during the author’s incarceration),
omissions and temporal spaces not respected in the epistle, rendering it more effective for the stage.
Not a novel, but rather a very long letter to the young Bosie (Alfred Douglas), to whom Wilde wrote during his last few months of incarceration in Reading jail.
The newly appointed governor was more sensitive towards the inmate, granting him the use of pen and paper, which was strictly forbidden by the prison system of the day, which was especially harsh towards homosexuals. However, it wasn’t until his release that Oscar was able read the work in its entirety, when all the sheets of paper were returned to him.
